Chapter 176
The Beniti Extermination Operation.
As the full-scale operation was about to begin, I received a request.
The one who made the request was none other than Emilia.
The girl who was to lead the operation.
“Yuda.”
She pronounced my name clearly.
As if trying to hide even a hint of her agitation.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Hmm?”
“When we infiltrate the Mansion and confront my Uncle… let me take him on.”
“......That doesn't seem like a good idea. Deron Beniti is not an easy opponent.”
“I know. He's one of the most renowned Cryomancers on the Continent.”
“Lady Emilia, you won't be able to match him.”
“Promise me.”
Her hand clutched my sleeve.
The Villainess's shoulders trembled, but her gaze was calm.
Like an old captain's prayer before a tidal wave.
“That you won't interfere.”
“......”
“It's my duty. And my last remaining stubbornness.”
“You might get seriously hurt. Or even die.”
“I don't care.”
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in her reply.
Perhaps it was her final dignity.
“Because there's something I absolutely must know, and something I must accomplish.”
Her deep eyes are an endless blue.
In their tranquil depths, the present was reflected with crystal clarity.
The Slit-Eyed One, staring blankly down at me, and...
A certain Starlight that refused to be extinguished in defiance.
I couldn't ignore the girl's brilliance.
“So, promise me.”
Because she shone so dazzlingly.
As if I might be completely captivated if I wasn't careful.
“Even if I get hurt or die... you'll respect my decision.”
It was nobility.
A pride cloaked in the name of vanity.
That's why I couldn't refuse.
Her resolve, reflected on the surface, was still as beautiful as a winter flower.
I simply nodded with a faint smile.
As if understanding her sublimity.
“......If that is your will, then gladly.”
At the same time, I prayed.
For this fragile girl of mine.
“Please.”
Please.
May your pride be an affirmation of life.
May your vanity have a calling.
“May you have no regrets in your duty.”
I whispered.
***
“I've come to reclaim it, your name.”
A voice echoed down the corridor.
Beneath the moonlight streaming through the window, we stood before our target.
The curtains fluttered in the passing winter breeze.
“......Emilia?”
The man stared blankly at us.
Deron Beniti.
The atmosphere was chilling.
Emilia glared at the enemy of her life with cold eyes.
Her uncle, the object of her resentment, was utterly detestable.
“......”
*Is he assessing the situation?*
Deron's gaze meticulously scanned the Corridor.
He seemed wary of any forces that might be waiting in the vicinity, besides us.
But there was no other sign of presence.
“Hmm...?”
And why would there be?
The only ones who had come up to this Corridor were the two of us.
A strange light flickered in Deron's rolling eyes.
As if he'd been unnecessarily tense.
“Ha... I didn't think it possible, but are there really just two of you?”
The man let out a hearty laugh.
Following his exhaled breath, frost slowly spread at his feet.
His now arrogant blue eyes stared directly at us.
“So.”
Specifically, Emilia.
His niece was a pawn he considered useless.
“What brings you here?”
“Didn't I tell you?”
“My name... Ah, you must be angry about Ruska.”
“You tried to eliminate him. And me too.”
“There are adult matters, you see. Besides, Ruska was the one who betrayed me first.”
“No... you were the one who betrayed us ever since our parents died.”
“......Ha.”
The man sneered.
He then covered his mouth, revealing a hideously twisted smirk.
His gaze was like one looking down on trash in the street.
Then he asked.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
*How brazen.*
The temperature in the Corridor instantly dropped.
His exhaled breath immediately turned into white mist.
“What can you possibly do?”
“......”
“You, a half-wit who couldn't even protect your own position.”
“Even now, I'll take it back.”
*Swoosh-!*
The Cryomancy gathered at her fingertips soon transformed into a Frozen Spear.
Emilia aimed the gleaming blade.
At the same time, she glanced at me.
‘Is she telling me not to interfere?’
I nodded.
Because I had promised
I would step in at a dangerous moment, but for now, I wanted to watch.
The story of this girl is resonating with such venomous resolve.
*Indeed, can you reach the end of night and season?*
I stepped back.
“Very well, come.”
Deron, composed.
He too deployed his mana, conjuring magic in his palm.
Emilia threw a question at her uncle.
It wasn't a long question.
“I have one... question.”
“Now, of all times?”
“Were you involved in the accident that killed our parents?”
The suspicious accident.
The former Duke and Duchess of Beniti had met a sudden death.
Then, and even now, the truth of it has never been revealed.
It was merely recorded as an unfortunate accident.
-The Duke and Duchess have passed away.
-The cause of death is still unknown, but investigations suggest a carriage accident...
No one knew the truth.
The exception is the Interim Family Head who managed the case at the time.
The person in question replied.
“What if I were?”
“......Then any further conversation is meaningless.”
Emilia took her stance.
In her blue eyes, a glint of venomous resolve shone.
“It seems there are only two of you... You're underestimating your uncle too much.”
“You're enough for this. You couldn't even reach my father's heels.”
“Unless you bring the Imperial Knights, you won't be able to catch me.”
“We'll see about that.”
“Perhaps you're foolish, just like your Elder Brother.”
The two aimed magic at each other.
Her flowing blue hair flickered in an instant.
*Thwack-!*
Her steps launched her from the ground.
And the next moment.
*Clang-!*
Shards of ice flew with a crashing sound of impact.
Betrayal, pride, and Beniti... all reached their climax in that moment.
The two Vain Ones wielded chilling blue blades.
***
Deron Beniti.
He is one of the Empire's foremost Cryomancers and the Interim Family Head leading the Beniti Family.
After the former Duke and Duchess passed away, he seized control of everything in the Ducal House in just a few years.
As such, he was quick-witted.
The same held true in the current situation.
*‘First... the Corridor seems clear.’*
The Corridor was devoid of any presence.
Even with mana deployed, the silence all around meant the surroundings were safe.
At least on the floor he was on, there seemed to be no other variables.
Deron's mind raced.
‘There's no way it's just the two of them.’
Though he pretended to be at ease, it was an act to induce complacency.
Even if they were just kids who hadn't even come of age.
There was no way they would brazenly invade the Ducal House, and just the two of them at that.
It was more logical to assume that there were other forces, either waiting outside or having already infiltrated.
The question was whose forces they were.
‘It's too fast for the Imperial Family to have moved.’
It should take at least two days.
The Heretic Cult had guaranteed it.
If so, the possible scenarios were...
*‘......The Academy, perhaps?’*
Yes.
It would make sense if the Academy had come for retaliation for the previous attack.
Gallimard is the Academy known as the Continent's finest educational institution.
Normally, they wouldn't get involved in such matters, but they had suffered the greatest damage due to the Duke of Beniti's actions.
Several Faculty members had even died in the line of duty.
The justification was theirs.
‘There's also the possibility of a third faction...’
Well, that didn't matter.
Deron scanned his surroundings.
Since the situation was complicated, he at least had to escape.
The Secret Passage was hidden within the Duke's Chamber. He planned to escape through there.
After leaving the Mansion, he would rendezvous with the Demon Worshippers.
Then he would disappear until the Day of Promise arrived.
*‘When that day comes... I will reign as the Emperor of the New World.’*
His desires flowed darkly.
As he mulled over his thoughts alone, someone suddenly appeared in his sight.
A blue-haired girl was barely standing, looking tattered.
It was none other than his niece, Emilia.
“Haa, haa...”
Her breathing was ragged.
The girl was a mess.
Her usually flowing hair was disheveled, and her limbs were covered in cuts.
Her thigh, where a shard was embedded, trembled faintly.
No matter how much she tried to be defiant, her weakness couldn't be hidden.
Emilia was simply forcing herself.
“Ugh, ugh...”
*Thud-*
With a few groans, the spear she used to support herself slipped.
The girl's balance kept faltering.
*Was it because she was outmatched in power?*
Despite being a Cryomancer herself, she seemed to be struggling to withstand the cold.
Snowflakes fluttered against her pale face.
However, Emilia did not give up.
“Don't... interfere.”
She merely mumbled.
Towards the Golden Snake guarding her side.
“This is my story, Beniti's...”
He thought it was a meaningless struggle.
Deron, watching, soon clicked his tongue dismissively.
He thought she was quite a clever child, but she was showing such a pathetic state.
A foolishness that too much resembled someone's.
His brow furrowed.
*‘Should I just finish them off?’*
Deron concentrated mana at his fingertips.
Time was pressing, so he intended to end it quickly without dragging it out.
Both Emilia and the Golden-haired boy were standing beside her.
‘Was his name Sneakers?’
He had heard rumors about him.
A genius who, despite his young age, overwhelmed Faculty members.
An unprecedented talent, following in the footsteps of the Red Sword Saint.
A mysterious boy.
‘Well... there might be some exaggeration.’
As is often the case with rumors, some distortion is inevitable.
Genius, talent, mystery... humans tend to be fascinated by such things.
The aura Deron directly perceived wasn't particularly strong.
Certainly, considering his age, he was undoubtedly an incredible raw talent.
But he was no match for the Red Sword Saint.
*‘Ridiculous.’*
Deron sneered.
Even if the other side joined in now, he was confident he could overwhelm them.
Of course, he had no intention of letting his guard down.
It was best to minimize variables.
“Then, let's finish this.”
*Whoosh-.*
Around his clenched fist, cold air swirled.
White frost settled along the long Corridor.
The final Strike.
He intended to end everything with this.
Both his annoying Elder Brother's kin and the snake-like brat who had interfered from somewhere.
The tightly condensed mana soon became a compressed storm.
“Cough, ugh...”
“What a pity. If you meet your Elder Brother over there, please give him my regards.”
A taunt thrown to the very end.
He smiled.
Just as he clenched his fist, intending to shatter the entire space.
Emilia's lips suddenly caught his eye.
“Ha, haha...”
Laughter escaped her, even as she was crushed by exhaustion.
Deron paused at her absurd reaction.
*Had she gone mad?*
In a situation where she was about to be killed, she was laughing instead of begging.
That unsettling feeling made him frown.
“......This can't be all of it.”
*Ptui-.*
The girl spat out bloody phlegm, then took her stance again.
Her blue eyes were still gleaming.
As if she hadn't even started yet.
*‘What is this...?’*
Despite her disheveled appearance, her expression was full of confidence.
She clearly didn't lose her composure even in a disadvantageous situation.
That incongruity was enough to raise Deron's guard.
Then their gazes met.
“To life, pride; to betrayal, harsh winter.”
“......?!”
*Crack-.*
The girl's spear shattered into pieces behind an oddly familiar Incantation.
The fragments spun furiously around Emilia.
Soon, her blue hair whipped in the whirlwind.
*‘That Incantation... surely not, it can't be.’*
However, it was as if to prove that impossible thought.
A brilliant light began to emanate from the girl's two hands.
Her red lips murmured.
“I told you.”
The Vain One raised her hand.
Behind the Shadow cloaked like a robe, black snowflakes danced in the Corridor.
In her blue eyes, the same venomous resolve remained.
As a season itself.
“I came to reclaim that name.”
A figure cloaked in night and winter.
Emilia stood there, her aura completely transformed.